Sock or stocking



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.,

ROBERT L. CARTLEDGE, OF PHILADELPHIA, PNNSYLIANIA.

SOCK OR STOCKING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 456,476, dated July 21, 1891.

Application filed May Il, 1891.V Serial No. 392,339. (No modeh) l To tl zU/wnt t may concern:

Be it known that I, ROBERT L. CARTLEDGE, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, have invented certain Improvements in Socks or Stockings, of which the following is a specification.v

The object of my invention is to make a sock or stocking having a seamless heel and toe, and having the heel, toe, and sole portions of the foot of yarn of a different color, gage, or quality from that ot' the yarn in the leg land upper portion of the foot; and this object I attain in the manner hereinafter set forth, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in Which- Figure l is a view of the foot and ankle portion of a stocking made in accordance with my invention. Fig. 2 is a View of the toe, sole, and heel portion of the same. Fig. 3 is a View illustrating another method ot' making said toe, sole, and heel portion of the stocking in the-shape assumed during its manufacture. Fig. 3 is a View showing the same portion of the stocking in the shape as sumed by it on its removalfrom the machine. Fig. 4 is a View illustrating the method of making a knitted tube to form the leg and upper ',portion of the foot of the stocking, and Fig. 5 is va View illustrating another method of making the leg and upper port-ion of the foot.

In making stockings of the better grade in accordance with my invention I make the blank A, constituting the toe, heel, and sole portion of the stocking by reciprocating or to-and-fro knitting upon the desired number of needles, narrowing and Widening at intervals by first throwing needles at opposite ends of the set successively out ot action and permitting them to retain their stitches, and after the desired narrowing has been ett'ected bringing these needles again into action successively in the reverse order, the result of this operation being the production of the 'blank with looped ends c c', pockets Z9 and d, and selvage edges ff. The leg and upper portion of the foot maybe likewise produced by knitting a tube g of the proper length for the leg, then throwing out of action a certain number of needles-say one half of those used in producing the tube-leavinga looped edge in, and by reciprocating or toand-fro knitting' upon the other half ot' the needles forming a semi-tubular projection 72. with selvage edges t' and looped end fn'. The tWo parts of the stockings are'then united by joining the looped edges a and m and d and n and The selvage edges f and 1I. As the union of these looped and selvage edges can be effected without forming bulky seams, I am thus enabled to produce a stocking .which is practically seamless in the foot and in which the toe, heel, and sole of the stocking may be of yarn of a different color, gage, or quality from that in the leg and upper portion of the foot, such variation being desirable, for instance, for the purpose of thickening the sole, heel, and toe portion of the foot to enableit to better resist Wear, or, in other cases, for the purpose of distinguishing this portion of the foot of the stocking by the use of yarn of a different color or shade from that in the other portions of the stocking.

In making' a cheaper class of stockings I may produce the parts by cutting tubular Webs. For instance, a tubular web such as shown in Fig. 5 may be cut on the dotted lines fw, so as to produce tubes having semitubular projections 7L for the leg and top of the foot, and a tubular web having alternating pockets or protuberances on oppositesides, as shown in Fig. 3, for instance, may be cut on the dotted lines so as to form blanks A suitable for the toe, heel,and sole portions of the foot, the only difference between this stocking and that first described being the greater bulk of the seams formed by sewing together the cut edges of. the pieces composing the stocking.

Having thus described my invention, I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patentl. A sock or stocking composed of two parts,- the one comprising the leg and the upper portion of the foot and the other coniprising a seamless toe, heel, and sole, said parts being united at the top of the toe, along the sides of the foot, and at the top of the heel, substantially as specified.

A sock or stocking composed of two parts, the one comprising the leg and the upper portion ot the foot and the other com- IOO prising a seamless toe, heel, and sole, said name to this specification in the presence of parts being connected by the union of looped two subscribing Witnesses.

edes at the top of the noe and the top of the f 1 Y y 1 hel and by Jche union of selvage edges along ROBERI L' GARILEDGL 5 the sides of the foot, substantially as spee- Witnesses:

fied. EUGENE ELTERICH,

In testimony whereof I have signed my HARRY SMITH. 

